Seun-mi Ho cautiously advanced into the depths of the cavern. The tunnel had narrowed, and the darkness had grown heavier, almost tangible. Yet, for him, it posed no problem. Thanks to the Interface that projected a faint glow of information around him, he could see every detail, even in the darkest corners.

_"The dark won't stop me,"_ he thought, his eyes scanning the environment for movements or traps. His footsteps echoed faintly on the stone floor, but he made sure to stay as silent as possible.

After several minutes of walking, he finally saw what he was searching for: the rare gold ores. They glimmered faintly at the back of the cave, embedded in the rocky walls. They were much brighter than he expected, and their golden light weakly reflected off the damp walls.

_"There it is."_ Seun-mi smiled as he approached, but he froze almost immediately. Something was moving in the shadows near the ores.

_"Damn."_ He quickly crouched, hiding behind a rock. He carefully observed the scene in front of him, and what he saw made him narrow his eyes.

On the other side of the cave, just in front of the ores, stood a group of goblins. They were small and scrawny, but their hideous faces and glowing eyes showed they were not to be underestimated. They wielded crude weapons: spears made of wood and stone, rusty knives, and worn leather armor.

And at the center of the group, sitting on a sort of makeshift throne made of skulls and bones, was their leader. He was larger than the other goblins, his body covered in dented iron armor, and a massive club rested beside him. His red eyes gleamed with malice, and he growled orders at his subordinates in a guttural language Seun-mi couldn't understand.

_"Goblins… of course, it wouldn't be that easy."_ Seun-mi sighed inwardly. He quickly counted the goblins: ten in total, plus their leader. He knew he'd have to act fast and efficiently if he wanted to gather the five ore pieces without getting overwhelmed.

As he was strategizing, the goblin leader suddenly stood up from his makeshift throne and, much to Seun-mi's surprise, turned toward him. He must have sensed his presence, or perhaps the human scent had alerted him.

_"You! Human!"_

The goblin leader stepped forward, his screeching voice echoing through the cave as he pointed a crooked claw in Seun-mi's direction with a challenging look. His subordinates also turned, brandishing their crude weapons.

Seun-mi stepped out of his hiding spot, dagger at the ready. He knew a fight was inevitable, but he didn't expect what would happen next.

_"You come steal goblin treasure? Goblin treasure precious! You stupid or very stupid?"_ the goblin leader barked, his tone a mix between indignation and arrogance. He spoke in the goblin tongue, but the Interface automatically translated his words into something Seun-mi could understand.

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Seun-mi raised an eyebrow. _"This… this is their leader?"_ he thought. The tone of the conversation was almost ridiculous, and faced with this absurd scene, he couldn't help but smile.

_"I'm not here for your treasure,"_ Seun-mi replied calmly, trying to buy time, though the situation hardly lent itself to diplomacy. _"I just want the ores. You can keep your skulls and toys."_

The goblin leader's eyes widened, visibly outraged. _"Human talk? Human insult goblin chief? You regret!"_ He waved his club in anger, slamming it against the ground with a dull thud, while the other goblins screeched in support of their leader.

Seun-mi sighed. _"Well, it was worth a shot."_ He took a step forward, muscles tense, ready to attack. But something strange happened before he could move.

The aura of **Passive Intimidation** he had unlocked earlier began to emanate from his body, an invisible wave of pressure spreading throughout the cave. The goblins, who had been acting aggressively up until now, suddenly stopped. Their shrill cries were silenced, replaced by an oppressive quiet.

Even the goblin leader stopped moving. His red eyes squinted, and he instinctively took a step back. He seemed hesitant, as if feeling a fear he couldn't explain.

_"Wh… what is this?"_ the goblin leader stammered, his voice suddenly less confident.

Seun-mi smiled as he sensed the effect of his aura on them. _"Well, looks like you're not as brave as you thought."_

The goblins, gripped by panic, began to retreat slowly, their weapons trembling in their hands. Seun-mi wasted no time. In an instant, he launched his attack.

His dagger, still glowing with the greenish light of **Active Poison**, sliced through the air at incredible speed. Thanks to his **Adventurer's Cloak**, which boosted his agility, he moved so fast the goblins couldn't react in time.

Seun-mi struck, his blade slitting the throat of the first goblin in a fraction of a second. Before the others could comprehend what was happening, he was already upon them. His aura of intimidation amplified their terror, paralyzing them in place.

_"Too slow,"_ he murmured, slashing the throat of a second goblin with a clean strike. Blood pooled on the cave floor, but Seun-mi didn't stop, his movements becoming a whirlwind of death.

The goblins clumsily tried to flee, but Seun-mi was already upon the leader. Despite his armor and imposing club, the leader was still frozen by the intimidation. His red eyes were wide, and his whole body trembled.

_"You… you not human!"_ the goblin leader croaked, his screeching voice full of terror.

Seun-mi didn't respond. He simply plunged his dagger into the goblin leader's throat, severing his vocal cords. The leader's body collapsed heavily onto the stone floor, a gurgling sound escaping his mouth.

The few remaining goblins, seeing their leader fall, tried to flee in a panic, but Seun-mi had no intention of letting them go. He caught up with them in a flash, his dagger whistling through the air as he cut them down one by one.

In less than two minutes, it was all over. The floor of the cave was littered with goblin corpses, and silence returned, broken only by the sound of his slightly accelerated breathing.

Seun-mi, covered in bloodstains, stood up and wiped his dagger on one of the goblins' rags. _"Well, that's done."_ He turned toward the glowing gold ores still embedded in the walls.

_"Interface, how many pieces are usable?"_ he asked.

[**Five pieces of rare ore detected.**]

**Extraction recommended: Use your dagger to safely extract the pieces.**

Seun-mi nodded and approached the walls. He began working methodically, using the side of his dagger to dislodge the ore pieces while remaining vigilant. Even though the goblins were dead, he didn't know what else might be lurking deeper in the cave.

One by one, he detached the five rare ore pieces and placed them into his inventory. He cast a final glance at the goblin bodies strewn across the floor.

_"So much for your treasure,"_ he muttered with a smirk before turning toward the cave's exit. _"Time to head back and claim my reward."_

End of chapter 8.